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In the Shadow of Mt. TBR

Okay, I’ve been sitting back this last week and evaluating my last year in reading and blogging. I’ve come to the conclusion that my mama was right, I need more organization! LOL… Seriously, I think I need to do a monthly proposed reading list and see how close I get, as opposed to a yearly one. The yearly one ended up with me in the sprints for the first half of the year, then almost nothing from June through November, then sprinting to the end for the last six weeks. I did actually make it to 75 books, with one to spare, even, but was it quality reading that way? Some of the books I’ve read I don’t even remember, except what’s in my blog posts.

Which is another thing… I used to think I was blogging reviews of books for other people to read, but I think I’m the one who has benefited the most from them. I can look back to a book I read in 2008 and get an accurate feel for how I liked the book. Sometimes, I don’t really even remember reading the book at all. So blogging is as much for my benefit, if not more.

So, 2009 was my first full year of reading and blogging (In the Shadow of Mt. TBR began in June of 2008) and I tried to join a few challenges, to varying degrees of success. First off, I completed the 75 book LibraryThing challenge, and I’ve already joined it for 2010 (The Kool-Aid Mom cracks the whip!). I’ve also joined LibraryThing’s Books Off the Shelf challenge, a challenge to read books you already own *what a concept!*. I’ve started out with the conservative goal of 35, but I think I’ll hit higher than that. You can find my thread here, The Kool-Aid Mom’s Wet Dream of 35.

My reasoning for believing this will be a low figure is because I intend to clear out my intimidating stack of ARCs that have sat and loomed over my right shoulder for almost a year (before that, they were a smaller stack of books on the desk to my left, but after we couldn’t find the phone anymore, I decided to move it). It mocks me, points out my failures, and never lets me get a moment’s peace. So, 2010 is the year I will slay this beast once and for all!

**?**?**?**?**?**?**?* Was that over the top? *?**?**?**?**?**?**?**

And it is in this spirit of conquest that I have decided to join Teddy Rose’s ARC Reading Challenge 2010 at So Many Precious Books, So Little Time. I’ve recently updated my ARC-alance Pile page to reflect where I am right now, and It’s a list of 65, which leaves me only 10 extra in the 75 books to play with. Also, if I do the Manga Challenge again, then I’ll either go over the 75 (which is a good thing) or I’ll have to take the manga’s out of the 10. AND, I’m in the Sookie Stackhouse Challenge, which I signed up for 2 books, and it ends in June. So, I’ll probably go over…. oh, crap! forgot a book… fixed. 66 ARCs to read… you do the math on the rest of all that, I have a brain ache.

So, other challenges…

A book with a food in the title: Clockwork Orange, Grapes of Wrath, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

A book with a body of water in the title: A River Runs through It, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, The Lake House

A book with a title (queen, president) in the title: The Murder of King Tut, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lady Susan

A book with a plant in the title: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Wind in the Willows, The Name of the Rose

A book with a place name (city, country) in the title: Out of Africa; London; Between, Georgia

A book with a music term in the title: Song of Solomon, Ragtime, The Piano Teacher

Making a total of 6 books for this challenge. I’m going to try to get as many of them to overlap with my ARC challenge, but I’ve only gotten 3 that I can for sure make work: The Crying Tree will fill #4, The Mysterious Receding Seas will cover #2, and Strange But True, America: Weird Tales from All 50 States takes care of # 5. I’ve been debating where “Father” counts as a title, since that’s not the man’s name, in which case I can read My Father’s Paradise for #3. And would Spiced count as “A book with a food in the title”? If I can slip those two in, then I just have to find a music term… WAIT! The Organ Grinder‘s Monkey takes care of #6 :-D

So what’d’ya think? “Father” and “Spiced” count?

The Sookie Stackhouse Challenge continues through June 30, 2010, and is hosted by Beth Fish Reads. As it stands I still have my original TWO (so pathetic!) books to read.

Dead Until Dark

Living Dead in Dallas

And I guess I’ll go ahead and go for the Manga Challenge. Mags will demand I continue to read Fruits Basket with her, so I might as well fill a challenge with it. LOL, too bad I don’t have ARC mangas :-D

The goal is to read a minimum of 6 mangas. There will be the odd prize throughout the year and bonus points if you manage to watch at least one anime film or 3 episodes of a series.

Well, the bonus will help A LOT, since we’ve been watching xxxHolic (I’m dying to get my manga for it, but it got lost in the mail… boo!), Oh! My Goddess season 2, and plan to watch Negima, as well as a few other anime serieses… serii? just series? SHOWS. lol. And they watch Fruits Basket anime constantly, so I’m good to go on the bonus ;-)

Okay, so in an attempt to start out this year a bit more organized, here is my planned reading for January (Subject to change at a whim, though I’m going to try to be stronger than whimsy ;-) )

Of Bees and Mist by Erick Setiawan – This was the Barnes & Nobles First Look book sometime last summer or so, and I’ve been “reading” it since then. Okay, so I’m trying a little harder to actually read it now, but still… every time I crack the spine a gazillion interruptions fly in. I feel like Elias being annoyed by the bees. And when I’m left alone, and it’s nice and quiet, I get about 3 paragraphs read before falling asleep. I swear, I’m shocked I don’t have a permanent crease mark running down my face like a vertical hold pattern! It’s a really cool book, I just seem to keep slipping into unconsciousness with it.

Any Given Doomsday by Lori Handeland – I got this book back in FEBRUARY as a LibraryThing Early Reader book. FEBRUARY. 10 months ago. I feel like I’m going to go to LT Hell for this, and it gets worse…

The Mom’s Guide to Growing Your Family Green by Terra Wellington – A BONUS book in the February (or March, not sure anymore) LT ER round.

The Blue Notebook by James A Levine – Won in the March batch of LT ER program. This book thoroughly fascinates me and I’ve been wanting to read it… but just not done so. Did I mention I have reserved seats for LT Hell?

Holy Roller by Julie Lyons – Snagged in the April ER batch. I don’t even look at the ER list at this point, because I feel horribly guilty for taking books that have sat so long, and other people never even get a book. Yeah, I’m at the right hand of the MC in LT Hell.

These are the ones I plan to get through this month. You can see why they’re so urgent, as well. If I get through these 5, I plan to read The Triumph of Deborah by Eva Etzioni-Halevy and Strange But True, America by John Hafnor, as I have copies of these to give away.

Oh yes! and don’t let me forget about Bloggiesta! Last year, I didn’t officially participate, but I did do a lot of the activities. So this year I’m gonna throw my sombrero in the ring and partic-a-icpate. This year’s event will be from January 8th-10th. Here’s a quick description from the Maw Books Blog announcement page:

Some of you may be asking what is Bloggiesta? In short, it’s a blogging marathon. An opportunity to cross those nagging items off of your to-do list and improve your blog while in the good company of other awesome bloggers doing the same thing. Break out the nachos, enchiladas, drinks, mariachi music and whack a pinata or two!

I’m gonna grab some tortilla chips and medium-heat salsa to munch along for the event, just to keep in the spirit of things. Maybe I’ll even make Saturday here Taco Night… mmm… better yet, make my own taco casserole :-D * drool * ‘K, now I’m hungry.

Edited to add: I solved my trouble with which books to put in the What’s In a Name?3 Challenge’s food and title title. Since I’m doing the Manga Challenge, I’ll be reading Fruits Basket books and Vampire Knight, so those will cover the WIaN3 needed titles.

Also, I’ve added another challenge to my reading for 2010. I’m hosting it, as well, and that is The Welsh Reading Challenge. I’m planning to read 12 books for that. I’ve realized that if I get ALL my challenges done this year, I’ll have nearly 100 books read by the end of the year. I can do it, but it’ll mean sticking to it all year and not getting bored, or distracted, or sidetracked, like I am prone to do. The REAL challenge for me in 2010 will be to stick to my schedule and stick with it. I think it’ll be good for me. :-)